I have spent most of my
adult life trying to help all children become educated citizens
so that they can stand independently and do not have to rely
upon the social services of our country. Education is the
answer; welfare is not. There is no personal dignity which comes
from being reliant upon our government and its social services.
Those who do rely upon those services are putting huge strains
upon the taxpayers' backs.

My husband and I have struggled all our lives financially. My
husband was literally reared in a one-room shack by the railroad
tracks; his father was physically handicapped and never learned
to read nor write. Neither my husband nor I have inherited
wealth but have had to work hard all our lives. Our own family
has experienced serious accidents and illnesses. We had one
income for many, many years. Through it all, we have sacrificed
to do the responsible things to pay our taxes and provide the
necessities (not the luxuries) for our children.

Through it all, our family has given and given to others; we
have never given discriminately but have given to all who are in
need. As classroom teachers, we have gone far and above to
provide for the needs we have seen in our students and in their
families. Many times we provided financially for others while
hardly having enough money ourselves to pay our own bills. My
husband and I chose to remain classroom teachers because we
believe that should be the whole focus of a school. Our teacher
retirement is very minimal because it is based upon teachers'
salaries and not administrators' salaries.

The problem is that the taxpayers cannot keep footing the bill
for those who flood into our country without going through the
proper legal channels. Our hospital systems are swamped with
people who have no health insurance, and undoubtedly many of
them are illegal immigrants. This last year I had two serious
accidents which required me to go to two emergency rooms. They
were full to overflowing with indigents. We were charged
thousands of dollars (out of pocket) besides our insurance
(almost $600 a month) for the emergency room services, and we
know that money went to pay for the hundreds of indigents who
did not pay.

Students can gain independence, and it comes through their
working hard to learn English so that they can become
well-educated American citizens. English is the language which
unites our country. With so many immigrants coming from so many
different countries, we must have a common language; and people
need to be able to speak it well in order to help themselves to
stand as independent contributors to our society.

It is also important for all of us to value our great American
heritage. Frankly, many American citizens were offended by the
huge display of Mexican flags and the "in-your-face" attitude of
the marchers who seemed to have little respect or regard for the
United States, the very country which is providing them wide
opportunities and subsidizing them with many social services. It
is not Mexico which is providing them with those opportunities;
it is America. The attitude of many of the marchers and their
leaders was anything but thankful and gracious to the taxpayers
who provide them with so many social services.

Somewhere or other this immigration debate got turned on its
head. In my mind the debate is not about legal immigration. Our
country benefits greatly from the sacrifices of those who come
to this country legally and work so hard to contribute to it. I
have said since well before the time I served on the National
Commission on Migrant Education that each time we eat at a salad
bar, we have the hard-working migrants to thank for that.
However, much has changed since 9/11. We simply must control our
borders for the safety and security of everyone in our country,
including those legal immigrants who live here. Everyone is
safer if we know who is coming in and out of this country.

When I served on the Commission and talked to hundreds of
migrant parents, they all wanted their children to learn English
because they wanted them to have a better and easier life. They
wanted their children to do well in school and were concerned
because the families had to move around frequently in order to
find work. They loved their families; they all worked hard. I
also found that they were often victims of scam artists. They
often lived in needless fear of government regulations which
"someone" had deliberately misconstrued to them. Most of them
because of their limited English abilities could not advocate
for themselves. They could not read the contracts or agreements;
they could not even understand the verbal directions and
deliberations going on around them. They were always dependent
on someone else and were very vulnerable to unscrupulous
business owners. Many of the families were poorly educated in
their home countries, and their unhealthy living conditions had
already caused them much suffering. I saw that the longer they
stayed in our country, the more dependent they became on our
social services. Along with that came the loss of dignity and in
many instances the crumbling of the proud family structure. That
hurt me to see what our country's welfare system did to people.

There is nothing racist about wanting people to be legal
immigrants. There is nothing racist about wanting people to be
legal contributors to our country. There is nothing racist about
wanting people to be able to assimilate into our country by
having the English skills necessary to provide for themselves
and their families. This whole immigration debate has been
misconstrued by many across this country. The debate is not over
legal immigration; it is over illegal immigration. For the
safety of our country and for the prosperity of all U. S.
citizens, we must protect our borders and insist that people who
come into this country go through the legal channels. There is
nothing racist about that. It is for the safety and well-being
of all those who live in our country.